MODERNIZING MODERN In the United States, there is a huge inventory of unused, underused, and poorly configured buildings, many of them modern-style. These buildings are a valuable resource, and until this resource has been exhausted, the pace and pattern of new building construction seen in the second half of the 20th century is a luxury that is not sustainable. — Published 2010.1208
	HOUSING AWARDS FROM HUD AND THE AIA Residents of Congo Street in Dallas, Texas, loved their tight-knit community of homeowners and long-term tenants. By 2008, however, the neighborhood's modest, century-old houses had fallen into disrepair. The local firm buildingcommunityWorkshop worked with five homeowners to develop a unique plan for renovating their homes without displacing anyone from the neighborhood during the process — and while also reaching for LEED Platinum. — Published 2010.1208
	USING ARCHICAD FOR LEED CALCULATIONS In order to gain the LEED credits required for LEED certification of a building project, calculations must be utilized to determine whether the project meets a credit threshold. These calculations will also need to be recalculated during the design of a project to accommodate modifications and revisions to the design. — Published 2010.1117
	AUSTRALIA ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2010 In an inner-city suburb of Sydney, Australia, a compact new public building combines the functions of library, neighborhood center, and daycare facility with striking style, while including a wide range of green features, from mixed-mode ventilation to an automated system of wood louvers that track the movement of the sun. — Published 2010.1117
	PORTLAND AIA AWARDS When the University of Oregon made plans with longtime athletics benefactor Phil Knight, chairman of Nike, to build a new study center for student athletes on the Eugene campus, the stated goal was to create a building of striking beauty that celebrates the landscape. The resulting John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes is a gleaming glass cuboid set against a reflecting pool, impressing passersby with its pristine presence while providing abundant outdoor views to the select athletes within. — Published 2010.1110
	TEACHING DESIGN/BUILD: STUDIO 804 Studio 804, which takes its name from the final design studio within the graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas, compresses every aspect of design/ build practice into an intensive five-month experience. In the ten years since the studio began, we've progressed from small-scale projects to creating affordable housing for the city of Lawrence to the point at which students now design, build, and install prefabricated homes for entry-level buyers in Kansas City. — Published 2010.1020
	BETTER ENERGY CODES NOW Update: Local and state building code officials did approve a package of revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) in late October, as recommended here. New and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that use the new 2012 IECC are predicted to use 30 percent less energy than those built to current standards. —Editor — Published 2010.1013
	EDUCATIONAL BUILDING At two schools in the Pacific Northwest, daylit classrooms stand in small clusters rather than linear arrays along corridors. Architecture firm Mahlum designed these buildings — Gray Middle School in Tacoma, Washington, and Thurston Elementary School in Springfield, Oregon — to foster small "learning communities" within each school. — Published 2010.0922
	HOUSE AT STONE CREEK CAMP The remote Stone Creek Camp compound near Bigfork, Montana, is entered gradually by descending a narrow gravel road through the deep vegetation of a northern primordial forest. About a mile into the pilgrimage, the forest opens to a dramatic expanse of land, sky, and water. Flathead Lake reaches into the distance. — Published 2010.0825
	ON 'TRAVEL AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT' News flash: The distance between a residential development location and the metropolitan center is one of the strongest factors influencing how much residents will drive. The density of a neighborhood, in and of itself, turns out to be the weakest of the commonly considered "D" variables, key dimensions of the built environment that influence how — and how much — people move around. — Published 2010.0818

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